How To Prevent Eye Damage From Diabetes
Introduction
People with diabetes often suffer from the condition for many years, and over time, it can lead to vision problems, including damage to the retina of the eyes. In some cases, individuals may even lose their vision gradually.
What Is Diabetic Retinopathy
The damage to the retina caused by diabetes is known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a type of eye condition resulting from changes in the retina due to diabetes. Around 30% of people with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy within a few years of having diabetes.
Types Of Diabetic Retinopathy
There are two main types of diabetic retinopathy
Non Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Non proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) is the most common type. In NPDR, the blood vessels in the retina leak fluid or blood. This can cause blurred vision, floaters, or dark spots in your vision.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a more serious type of diabetic retinopathy. In PDR, the blood vessels in the retina close off. This can cause the growth of new blood vessels, which can bleed into the vitreous, the gel-like substance that fills the eye. This can lead to severe vision loss or blindness.
The risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases the longer you have diabetes and the higher your blood sugar levels are. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.
Causes Of Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. It is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
Symptoms Of Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that can damage the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults.
In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, you may not have any symptoms. However, as the condition progresses, you may develop the following
Seeing spots or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters).
- Blurred vision.
- Fluctuating vision
- Dark or empty areas in your vision
- Vision loss
- Sudden flashes of light.
- Pain in the eye.
- Redness in the eye.
- Difficulty seeing in the dark.
How Does Diabetes Affect The Eyes
Today, let’s explore how diabetes can affect your eyes.
Our blood vessels are responsible for delivering nutrients and oxygen to various cells in the body. With high blood sugar levels, the blood vessels become stiff and hard as the high blood sugar circulates within them. The high blood sugar also turns the blood more viscous. This viscous blood can still circulate properly in large blood vessels, but it causes issues in smaller blood vessels due to high viscosity. Due to the high blood sugar level, the blood vessels in the eyes shrink, become hard, and lose their ability to dilate. The eyes have narrow blood vessels which supply nutrients to the retina. They will shrink, contract, and become damaged gradually due to diabetes due to high blood sugar.
This damage to the blood vessels in the eyes leads to diabetic retinopathy. As a result of poor blood circulation, the cells in the retina do not receive enough nutrients and oxygen, leading to gradual damage. Since the blood doesn’t reach the retina’s blood vessels due to their contraction, the body attempts to create new blood vessels from the side to restore blood flow to the retina.
However, in the presence of diabetes, the formation of these new blood vessels is not proper, and they may rupture, damage in many ways or fail to form correctly.
There are two primary reasons for retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy typically occurs in individuals who have had diabetes for an extended period first. Some people may develop diabetes suddenly without any prior history, and it can persist for 4 to 5 years. Individuals with uncontrolled blood sugar levels for an extended period are at risk of retinal damage in the eyes. making diabetic retinopathy a consequence of uncontrolled diabetes. Those with hypertension along with diabetes are at risk of significant damage to their blood vessels. The blood vessels may constrict and lose their ability to dilate properly. In cases where blood vessels are already contracting due to high blood sugar, hypertension can exacerbate the issue, This is why diabetes, when combined with hypertension, is another factor to diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, diabetic retinopathy often occurs in individuals who have had diabetes for an extended period and also have high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in their blood. As the blood vessels become hardened, constricted, and inflamed, they are more prone to developing diabetic retinopathy. All these factors contribute to diabetic retinopathy in diabetic individuals.
How To Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy
To prevent diabetic retinopathy, it is advisable to include foods rich in vitamin A, lutein, and zeaxanthin in your diet. Many green leafy vegetables are high in lutein and zeaxanthin. Carrots, beetroot, and juices are also excellent sources of lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin A. Consuming these foods more frequently can help in preventing diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, incorporating beetroot into your diet can increase the production of nitric oxide, which aids in blood vessel dilation. Mainly, Diabetic retinopathy will not occur to diabetics who avoid salt. Salt can cause considerable harm to the delicate blood vessels in the eyes. Therefore, it is advisable to minimize salt consumption as much as possible.
Follow Natural Diet Plan To Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy
Consuming raw, uncooked foods can prevent effect on the vision of individuals even with diabetes.
Drink Vegetable Juice
Let’s explore how to create a diet and lifestyle plan to prevent and manage existing diabetic retinopathy. For individuals with diabetes, consider starting your day with vegetable juice. Prepare it by blending a carrot, beetroot, two tomatoes, and a cucumber. Prepare it by blending a carrot, beetroot, two tomatoes, and a cucumber. In the morning, have 250 ml of this juice, by adding one or two spoons of honey and lemon juice.
BreakFast
After consuming the juice, wait for 45 minutes, and then enjoy natural foods, such as a mixture of sprouts and fruits like apples and pomegranate seeds. If you prefer, you can add 5 to 10 raisins and finely chopped fresh dates to enhance the taste of the sprout mixture. One or two dates will not increase the sugar level in the blood. For morning breakfast, start with sprouts and follow it with fruits like papaya and muskmelon. This makes for an excellent breakfast choice.
Lunch
During lunch, consider cooking dishes with greens and pulses. You can add greens like spinach to all the curries you make. Avoid consuming rice or millet; instead, have just 1 or 2 pulka. Higher carbohydrate intake can lead to elevated blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can increase blood viscosity and harm blood vessels. So, take one or two pulka with multigrain flour for lunch. Prepare the vegetable curries without excess spices and consume around 500 grams of them. A diet high in fiber and low in carbs will help manage diabetes effectively. If you refrain from eating rice, the blood sugar levels come under control within about a week.
Drinking Coconut Water
In the evening, consider drinking coconut water at around 5 PM. Don’t worry drinking coconut does not increase blood sugar levels.
Dinner
Between 6 to 7 pm, include a variety of dried nuts such as watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts if you can afford them. To prepare, soak these seeds in water for 7 to 8 hours in the morning. In the evening, eat these soaked seeds along with 1 or 2 dried dates. Combining them with dried dates makes it easier to consume. The blood sugar levels will not increase when you include just 1 or 2 dates. Additionally, include fruits like guava, musk melon, and jujube. It’s beneficial to incorporate natural food into your dinner.
A natural food diet can help protect your vision even if you’ve been living with diabetes for 20 to 30 years.
Health Tips For Diabetics
Furthermore, limiting your salt intake can have a positive impact on managing the effects of diabetes. The suggested diet can also aid in the recovery of damaged vision caused by diabetic retinopathy. It will help in curing and making the blood vessels healthy. Expect to see improvements in your eyesight within 3 to 4 months of following this diet. I have witnessed many with blurred vision regain normal eyesight by adopting these natural dietary habits. Therefore, I strongly adhere to naturopathic dietary practices to prevent and treat diabetic retinopathy.
